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In January 2018, ISO New England released its Operational Fuel-Security Analysis, a study assessing whether possible future resource combinations would have enough fuel to ensure bulk power system reliability throughout an entire winter. The results indicate that maintaining reliability is likely to become more challenging, especially if current power system trends continue. The study's findings suggest six major conclusions:

Outages: The region is vulnerable to the season-long outage of any of several major energy facilities.

Stored Fuels: Power system reliability is heavily dependent on LNG and electricity imports; more dual-fuel capability is also a key reliability factor, but permitting for construction and emissions is difficult.

Logistics: The timely availability of fuel is critical, highlighting the importance of fuel-delivery logistics.

Risk Trends: All but four scenarios result in fuel shortages requiring rolling blackouts, indicating the trends affecting New England's power system may intensify the region's fuel-security risk.

Renewables: More renewable resources can help lessen the region's fuel security risk, but are likely to drive coal and oil-fired generation retirements, requiring higher LNG imports to counteract the loss of stored fuels.

Positive Outcomes: Higher levels of LNG, imports, and renewables can minimize system stress and maintain reliability; to attain these higher levels, delivery assurances for LNG and electricity imports and transmission expansion will be needed.

ISO New England is the independent operator of the region’s bulk power system and wholesale electricity marketplace and will be presenting this report and its findings.

Join E2Tech for a discussion of whether the regional grid is reliable and what we can do to increase its reliability and security. What level of fuel-security risk is the ISO and the region willing to tolerate? How do we remove barriers for integrating additional clean energy resources into the grid? What actions can be taken to increase resiliency of the grid in the face of a changing climate and increased energy demands? Join us and experts in the field to discuss these questions, studies, and initiatives.